How to Make a Photo Collage

Photo collages are a great way to display those wonderful memories of things you love. You have the option of displaying, people you love, places you enjoy, your special pets or just things you experience pleasure by just looking at. In the modern world of today you have the option of using digital photography to make a neat photo collage, you can use print out photos on a sheet of paper or you can buy collage frames to make it a bit easier. This article will guide you on how to make a regular photo collage using your own creativity and artistic abilities.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Photos of your choosing
• Paper (size of frame you will use)
• or Poster Board
• Picture Frame (of your size choice)
• Photo Glue or glue stick
• Other embellishments if you choose
• Scissors

1. Decide what theme you want to use. If you are making a photo collage for your own personal use you might choose family photos or photos from a special vacation, etc. Knowing what you want to base the collage on will make it that much easier to do.

2. Choose a design. You might choose to make a collage of just pictures or you might want to add other embellishments that might include: stickers, keepsakes for special collages such as a wedding or magazine clippings. Once you've chosen a design it's time to choose the photos for the collage.

3. Choose your photos. You might print out your photos using your own computer but you can also order them on line at a local retail store or take in a memory card from your camera to print out at a local photo store. Whatever option you choose will be fine as long as you have all the pictures you need for the collage. You might make a special folder on your computer with the photos you want to use also.

4. Put your photos in priority order. More than likely you have a bunch of photos you would really like to use but they may not all fit on this collage. Remember you can always make a second collage to use the remaining photos if needed. So go through all the photos making a few stacks; one stack being must use, second stack being want to use and so on. This can ensure you avoid overcrowding your collage.

5. Figure out a layout. The placement of the photos in the collage is rather important. You want to place your favorite photos in the most attention grabbing spots, such as the corners. You can overlap photos if you choose but try not to worry too much about blank spots cause you can fill those in later on. Right now you just want to know where the photos are going to be placed.

6. Glue the photos. Now that you have the design, pictures and layout done you can actually glue the photos to the paper. Doing this last allows you to make last minute photo arrangements if you decide to move a few pictures around. If you have any blank spots left after you've glued the photos fill them in with a marker that matches the color of your collage or just use a black marker.

7. Frame the collage. Now that you have finished your collage you can put it in the frame and hang it on the wall. If you had remaining pictures this is a great time to do a second collage while you still have the supplies out, etc. Sit back and admire your creative photo collage and if you see something you wish you'd have done different, just apply that to the next collage you do!

Tips & Warnings

• If you have digital imaging software on your computer check it out. It may have some collage abilities in it that might help you do a digital collage as well.
• This article is not guaranteed to work for everyone, use at your own risk!

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on 3/9/2009 Sites like www.CustomPhotoCollage.com and Snapfish.com are also great for creating collages...